New Print Edition: Mississippi 1 & Florida 24

The May 2, 2008 print edition of the Rothenberg Political Report is on its way to subscribers. The print edition comes out every two weeks and the content is not available online. Subscribers get in-depth analysis of the most competitive races in the country, as well as quarterly House and Senate ratings, and coverage of the gubernatorial races nationwide. To subscribe, simply click on the Google checkout button on the website or send a check.

Here is a brief sample of what's in this edition...

Mississippi 1: Something Special
By Nathan L. Gonzales

It won’t be easy for Republicans to explain away a loss in Mississippi’s 1st District. But they might want to start working on their excuses now.

Two months ago, Republicans lost former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s seat in Illinois, but blamed the special election loss on a flawed nominee. The party also had a damaged candidate in the special election in Louisiana 6. That’s simply not the case in Mississippi, and yet Republicans are in jeopardy of losing a very conservative district.

Gov. Haley Barbour (R) tapped Cong. Roger Wicker for the U.S. Senate when Trent Lott announced his resignation, opening up the 1st District. Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R) and Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers (D) will battle in the November general election, but because of the election schedule, they are also facing off in the May 13 special election runoff to fill the remainder of Wicker’s House term. Subscribers get the whole story in the print edition.


Florida 24: Race to November

Tom Feeney knows his congressional district. Heck, he drew it for himself.

By the numbers, Florida’s 24th District doesn’t look particularly vulnerable, but the Republican congressman’s connection to incarcerated former lobbyist Jack Abramoff have plenty of GOP strategists uneasy.

Feeney’s profile appears similar to some of his colleagues who lost in 2006, in districts that Republicans normally win easily. But the congressman’s supporters believe he’s handled the issue far better.

Democrats went out and recruited Suzanne Kosmas, whom they believe will be a strong challenger to the congressman. The former state representative is proving to be a terrific fundraiser and should be a more than credible candidate for voters concerned with Feeney’s ethical questions.

This race isn’t in the regular conversation about the most vulnerable House seats nationwide, but talking to Republican operatives, there is plenty of nervousness about this race. The rest of the story is in the print edition for subscribers only.